THE UCHIHA WASN’T AS EXPRESSIVE AS HE’D LIKE TO BE—THAT HE COULD ADMIT—BUT WHAT HE LACKED IN EXPRESSION, HE MADE UP FOR IT IN ACTION.
The uniformed officer had woken up ready for work that morning, cup of coffee in his hand as he struggled to open his eyes to wake up. Mornings were always a challenge to get prepared for for the recently pardoned ninja. It was tough for him that he kept his windows dark as well as his living space so he could slowly wake up without having to force himself. It didn’t help that sometimes he had to stay a little later in the precinct some nights. But it was honest work he didn’t mind. Now that he’s turning over a new leaf, he didn’t mind the hours just to protect the citizens the best way he knew how.
Sasuke had finally managed to wake up as much as he could at this point, walking over to the sink to put his empty cup before he could open the window blinds. He had to do this silently as not to disrupt his sleeping cat. This routine was something he had done for a few weeks now, and he didn’t mind it. Yet, there was always a nagging feeling that he didn’t like. He knew he was missing in action to what’s happening in Konoha and the outside gates. Being recently pardoned, it didn’t look too good on his part to become missing again. And Naruto and Kakashi had put so much trust in him not to do this again.
But it wasn’t all that bad. At least he wasn’t alone.
Throughout these past few days, he had discovered that the pink-haired medic also lived in Wonderland (thanks to his troublesome cat). And he would be lying if he said he minded her being there. In actuality, he was glad that she was there. It gave him a semblance of home and it made him less worried about her as he was close to her at all times.
Yes, he worried about Sakura. Even though he knew she could hold up on her own (she wasn’t weak), he was used to protecting her at all times back in the academy. Even as he deserted, he laid her sleeping form down on one of Konoha’s benches before walking away. But that was then and this was now. As he made his way through his home, he took it upon himself to open his front door slightly ajar to let some fresh air in. With springtime being here, he dabbled in shared enjoyment with the citizens of Wonderland. He would have walked away immediately from his front door to put on his shoes had he not seen a plastic bag near his door. This immediately put his guard up. Why else would there be a plastic bag near his apartment if not for a death threat? With furrowed brows, he opened the door even more so he could examine the bag without having to go outside (and locking himself out in the process). And what he saw...oddly surprised him.
Encased in the bag was a plastic container and a small bag of sweet pastries. And Sasuke had to cover his mouth to suppress a small smile from itching its way to his lips. He knew exactly who did this. She was always so kind to him, even when he would push her away. It made him gain a newfound appreciation for her. So much so that Sasuke had to make sure to repay her later.
And that’s exactly what he did.
His shift had ended close to midnight and he was exhausted to say the least. But he had—no, wanted—to repay Sakura for her efforts. The bento was delicious of course and the pastries (though he disliked sweets) were great as well. Needless to say he was pretty happy about the outcome. The male made his way to the sink to thoroughly wash the bento (and his empty mug) before he could put it back outside for her to see. He even did the best he could with drying it before packing it back to its original plastic bag with a written note:
⎡ Thanks ⎦
Sasuke gave a pleased smirk to himself before putting the empty container back outside for her to pick up. And in the coming moments, he would wait for her—the light of his apartment door slowly becoming the only one to illuminate. But he didn’t mind, it was for Sakura’s safety. He would turn it off when she’s safe back home, and if she ever confronts him about it; well, he’s got a multitude of excuses to use.
ANONYMOUS SAID: INTIMACY + 119 - sakura ( being in comfortable clothes together )
THE MORE HE STAYED IN WONDERLAND, THE MORE HE HAD SPENT HIS TIME WITH SAKURA. It was only normal. They were past teammates, and there was a lot to catch up on. If he were to tell the truth, he looked forward to seeing her whenever he could—especially when he was still in the midst of transitioning from his past job to his current. Sasuke looked forward to seeing the familiar tuft of pink walk by his window and stop at his door.
He actually still doesn’t know what type of relationship they had but he didn’t mind. He let it be. He let it be to the point where she was welcomed to stay some nights—especially after talking (or not) the whole night.
It was the same with with today. With summer vacation in play and not a lot of emergencies in the hospital; Sasuke was free and Sakura was on-call. Both were on the couch watching some mindless movie while they were comfortable. Usually, he didn’t dream of giving other people his clothes but Sakura was different. So different that he had let her rest her feet on his lap as she wore one of his favorite shirts. They were comfortable. Because they were neighbors and friends. Not because he liked her in a way he never liked anyone else. They were friends, just friends.
Sasuke had to tell himself that. And sometimes it worked.
❝ This movie doesn’t make sense. How can you like it? ❞
Sasuke complained as he dipped his hand in a bowl of popcorn.
❝ Look. That’s not possible, even with ninjas like us. ❞
Even though Sasuke complained, he wouldn’t ever say no to whatever Sakura picked.
SASUKE PINCHED THE BRIDGE OF HIS NOSE IN ANNOYANCE. When he decided to adopt a cat for company, he never thought he’d get one that actually loved going outside. But as his luck would have it, he actually got a black cat that loved outdoors; so much so that Susanoo (the cat) would do everything he can in his power to sneak out of the house to go for a walk.
Most of the time, Sasuke could care less about what his cat was doing because he was at the precinct and his apartment was locked at all times so Susanoo wouldn’t get out. However, since it was his day off, the cop had decided to make today an errand day and opted to buy a few things he needed in his apartment—including human and pet essentials. He thought it would be alright if he propped the door open so he could get the many bags inside without any difficulties. Little did he know that his cat would be awake and waiting by the door to sneak a surprise exit out of apartment. With hurried movements, Sasuke pushed every single one of his items inside the house before locking the door and running after Susanoo.
Damn the black cat!
Sasuke ran after the cat as best as he could but once the cat disappeared in one of the bushes, he knew that he had a long day ahead of him. With an angry, exasperated sigh, he scolded himself before trying to calm himself down. Something that he has been trying to do lately. With a slow inhale and a slow exhale, Sasuke decided to follow the trail that his cat had disappeared to, knowing that he had to do this quickly before dark—black cats in the dark don’t exactly prove easy.
If only there were two of them partaking in the search.
HER SUDDEN WORDS MADE EVERYTHING GO QUIET ALL OF A SUDDEN AND SASUKE WASN’T QUITE SURE IF IT WAS HIM OR IF THE WORLD SUDDENLY DECIDED TO MUTE ITSELF. Needless to say, those words made Sasuke look at Sakura as they sat on the bench by their apartment. His facial expression showed tints of confusion even as he tried desperately to keep calm and collected.
In truth, Sasuke thinks that Sakura was the one to change him. In all the times he had succumbed to darkness, no one was more willing to stand by his side and calm him down than Sakura. No one else loved him fearlessly than her, no one had high hopes for him even in the end than her. Sakura was the one to give her all to him—she was unafraid of sacrificing herself for him. It had showed, even if she had conspired to kill him before the war happened.
To say that Sasuke had changed her was a complete overstep of her achievements towards changing him. He never cared about anyone else at first—never cared of protecting them all. At least, not before her. But when she appeared, he couldn’t help but find himself protecting her, asking Naruto to protect her, giving her thanks, and apologizing mentally for troubling her once more. That had started when he was twelve and was unsure if he knew what the concept of love was. Sakura was everything Sasuke had wanted to protect. So much so that he couldn’t find it in his heart to give genuine hatred towards her. Perhaps, the desire to kill her when he was still full of hatred was because he wanted so desperately to sever all the ties that bonded him to Konoha and Team 7.
Sakura was everything Sasuke had admired. She was resilient even in the face of adversity, and she never failed to impress him. So much so that he genuinely apologized for giving her a hard time throughout the years. Sasuke knew Sakura didn’t deserve everything she was put through. He almost wanted to reach out to her to hold her hand gently in his and thank her once more.
But he doesn’t. At least not now.
Instead, he turns towards the flowers that bloomed weeks earlier during second week of spring.
❝ I see. ❞
He croaks out, unable to say anything else.
Maybe later on, Sasuke would tell her how he truly felt about her and how much she had changed him for the better.
@violetpetaldancer said: “ fine. you’ll never see me again, okay? ”
THE DISTASTE THAT SASUKE FELT WAS EVIDENT IN HIS USUALLY COLD FACE. Sakura was being unreasonable with him again (well, in his eyes). Of course Sakura wouldn’t see things in Sasuke’s eyes—it’d be a miracle if she did at this point. But, she’s stubborn like a bull. Not like it was a bad thing majority of the time, but when it came to things he couldn’t control, it became a problem.
Sasuke had been getting busier and busier in the precinct due to overwhelming paperwork and the fact that some of their computers broke. He had to dedicate his time to staying later than intended and had to drop Susanoo off at Adachi’s place. That lucky idiot always had ways of rubbing his vacation time in—it was getting to Sasuke that was for sure. Nevertheless, he had to explain the circumstance to Sakura who had suddenly became spark full of life. She told him that he was always working without taking a break; even before Wonderland, he had been gone for long periods of time. When were they actually going to have time together? She had asked—genuinely irritated.
Matching her energy, Sasuke had no choice but to answer back in retort. He had told her that if she didn’t like it, she could just not come see him for a while. He didn’t need anymore on his plate than he already did. And he was actually surprised at Sakura’s prideful outburst.
She had definitely grown to form her own mind and opinions that’s for sure. But Sasuke had and will always be prideful.
❝ Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to leave? ❞
[Text to Sakura]: He’s dumb and annoying and drives me so crazy but he’s my brother. I miss him so much and I worry about him. He’s not a bender like the others, and he puts his blind trust in his stupid boomerang. There’s a war and I just....I don’t want to lose him like I lost my mom, I don’t think I’ll be able to take losing him.
